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04/02/2006: "InterActive Dance"

Jim spent most of his time in a "shop" full of dusty computer parts in front of The Container experimenting with the use of sensor technology as a way to interpret dance movements by the participants. Young men streamed steadily in and out of the shop playing music and games or watching what he was doing.

After discussions with the performers and Mervin, he constructd a device which would allow a dancer to manipulate video images with their movements. To capture these motions he used accelerometers and tilt sensors. An accelerometer is a sensor device that measures dynamics of movement whereas tilt sensors are digital devices that give rough estimates of tilt angle. The devices have been designed to output midi data to allow easy interface with sound and video software. To capture the sensor data and send it to the computer we are using a small micro-controller (computer on a chip). Once the data is captured it is converted into a midi signal by the micro-controller and transmitted digitally. In this way the dancers' body movements have been digitized. Initially simple video images are being manipulated. This project is one that could be expanded. Once the participants see the potential of using digital technology as a way to interpret movements it is his hope that the program can be expanded to teach the participants more about the construction of the digital devices being used as well as the programs that allow video and audio to be manipulated by the sensor devices.

Jim hopes that as a result of his work, The Container will be seen as a place where cutting edge performance technologies can be utilized and experimented with. He says "I hope this will influence other artists in Jamaica to embrace technology as a form of expression."

When I asked him if he would return to The Container he answered. "Definitely! I would spend more time with instruction to give the youth there more power to create their own work and be less reliant on me."